Thank You

I'd like to thank all our new and existing customers for choosing us for their holiday gifts! We appreciate every order we've received!! We hope everyone is happy with their purchase and that our handcrafted jewelry becomes a cherished gift.

Have a safe and Happy Holiday and a Happy 2010! It's going to be a great New Year for all of us!

Black Mountain Jewelry Co. Holiday Sale - 3 Days Left!

We are having a holiday sale. We'd like to offer you 15% off your order of $50 or more until 12/15/09. Just enter HS09 on your web order or mention this code if you would prefer to call us at 602-526-6318.

Don't forget our Tree of Life Jewelry - a meaningful gift for Mom, Grandma, Your Child, Best Friend - any woman in your life. These pieces are totally customized and handmade by just the two of us, but we are on top of our Holiday orders! Can we custom make one for someone special in your life? We can also ship directly to them enclosing a gift card - just notate on your web order any special wording

http://www.blackmountainjewelry.com/JewelryCollections_Tree.html

Peace & Love Precious Metal Clay Jewelry

I've only been selling this jewelry line at shows - it needs to be touched to be appreciated. All pieces are hand sculpted out of Precious Metal Clay. The sterling silver chains don't have a clasp - they're soldered so they just slip over your head. There are two jumprings with stone drops on each side that move with the necklace and the heavy chain necklaces have two different chain styles so you always have a different look. Our sale also applies to these items! Just e-mail me info@blackmountainjewelry.com or call 602-526-6318 for more info. Please refer to number of piece - I'll be marking "sold" as they sell. Some of these will become permanent on our website and some will be the first on our Etsy store in January!

#4 - One in stock - Andalusite beads. 24" heavy SS rolo & bar chains. 7/16" diameter peace sign & heart $85.

#1 - Three in Stock -Iolite & Tanzanite Beads. 24" fine SS chain. 5/8" diameter peace sign & heart $55.

#2 - Three in Stock - Pink & Green Tourmaline beads. 26" fine SS chain. 5/8" diameter peace sign & heart $55.

This is how they sit on your neck.

#5 - One in stock - Andalusite & peridot beads. 24" heavy SS oval & flattened cable chains. 3/8" diameter peace sign & heart $85.

#7 - One in stock - Amethyst, Iolite & Quartz beads. 24" heavy SS oval cable & bar chains. 3/8" diameter peace sign & heart $85.

#8 - One in stock - Andalusite & Peridot beads. 26" heavy SS oxidized large & small oval cable chains. 1/2" diameter peace sign & heart $95.

#10 - Three Pair In Stock - appx 5/8" diameter $25

#3 - One in Stock -Faceted Blue Topaz in Flower. Iolite, Quartz & Amethyst beads. 26" fine SS chain. 5/8" diameter flower & heart $55.
Sold

#9 - One in Stock -Faceted Anthill Garnet in Flower. Quartz, Peridot & Garnet beads. 24" fine SS chain. 5/16" diameter flower & heart $55.

#6 - One in stock - Faceted Pink Tourmaline in flower. Pink & Green Tourmaline beads. 24" heavy SS oval cable and flattened/patterned chains. 7/16" diameter flower & heart $95.

I posted how I make this jewelry not too long ago - If you'd like to see again please see link http://blackmountainjewelryco.blogspot.com/2009/10/making-pmc-jewelry.html

Precious Metal Clay Peace Sign Jewelry

Here are some items that won't be on our website - my fine silver peace sign jewelry. I have one of each left. If you're interested in any please contact me. I can take an order over the phone and at the same time confirm that I still have it. :) 602-526-6318 - or e-mail me and I can call you back - info@blackmountainjewelry.com Our sale applies to all of this jewelry too! 15% off orders $50+. They are a great stocking stuffer for teenagers. The pearl chokers $35, are 17 1/2" long and those on suede cords, adjust from 16-18", $25.

Picture shown appx twice normal size

Both Pearl Chokers - Sold

Picture shown appx twice normal size
Turquoise & Dark Blue Leather - Sold

Picture is life size - Heart on Green Pearls 16" long

Lime Pearls - Sold

I posted how I make this jewelry not too long ago - If you'd like to see again please see link http://blackmountainjewelryco.blogspot.com/2009/10/making-pmc-jewelry.html

The Blizzard

We had our first blizzard of this winter! Wait - it's not even winter yet! :) All day Monday into Tuesday morning - then Mark and I shoveled our driveway for 6 hours. We love living in the mountains.

Holiday Sale At Black Mountain Jewelry Co.

We are having a holiday sale. We'd like to offer you 15% off your order of $50 or more until 12/15/09. Just enter HS09 on your web order or mention this code if you would prefer to call us at 602-526-6318.

Don't forget our Tree of Life Jewelry - a meaningful gift for Mom, Grandma, Your Child, Best Friend - any woman in your life. These pieces are totally customized and handmade by just the two of us, but we are on top of our orders and guarantee those placed by December 7th for December 23rd delivery. We can also ship directly to the recipient - just notate on your web order http://www.blackmountainjewelry.com/JewelryCollections_Tree.html

Socially & Environmentally Responsible Jewelry

We all need to be aware of the impact of our purchases. The jewelry industry and how its raw materials are obtained has had a long history of controversy. Most recently the world became aware of Blood Diamonds and Gold in the Congo. That's why we choose to work with Hoover & Strong exclusively - using their Harmony Metals for all our jewelry creations. Whether you purchase from us or not - please ask questions, make sure your jewelry source is trying to be responsible and knows where their raw products come from.

More about the US Metal refiner Hoover & Strong:

Hoover & Strong Jewelry Products Now Available with SCS-Certified Recycled Content Scientific Certification Systems issues first certificate in jewelry industry August 4, 2009 - Emeryville, CA – Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), a globally-recognized independent third-party certifier and sustainability expert, today certified the recycled metal content in jeweler Hoover & Strong’s HARMONY Metals™ line.
http://www.hooverandstrong.com/category/Press+Release-2009-8-04/

We are Hoover & Strong Authorized Jewelers - please see link:
http://www.hooverandstrong.com/category/Authorized+Jewelers/

If you haven't seen it on the news here's a link to How Gold pays for Congo's Deadly War
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/11/25/60minutes/main5774127.shtml

We're all trying to save money in this economy. If you're searching for a life long piece of jewelry to commemorate a special event you don't want something that has caused pain and suffering. Small jewelry companies work closely with their sources and should be able to tell you where their materials come from. Large companies selling mass produced, imported, inexpensive jewelry lines are less connected to their sources and may even be unaware of human rights issues in jewelry factories overseas. Wherever you find that special piece of jewelry, please just ask some questions. The more customers ask, the more accountable those in the jewelry industry will become and hopefully we can end the use of Dirty Gold.

New Gold Jewelry Creations - The Remaining Additions

Here are the rest of our new gold jewelry creations. They are all over the website so if you want to be directed to a category just click on the link below the photo. I wish I were a better photographer and copywriter. The photos and descriptions just don't capture how beautiful they are in person. Thanks for taking a look!

Gem Chrysocolla Earrings

http://www.blackmountainjewelry.com/ArtJewelry-Chalcedony-Earrings.html

Gem Chrysocolla Rings

http://www.blackmountainjewelry.com/ArtJewelry-Chalcedony-Rings.html

Gem Chrysocolla Pendants

http://www.blackmountainjewelry.com/ArtJewelry-Chalcedony-Pendants.html

Turquoise Rings

http://www.blackmountainjewelry.com/ArtJewelry-Turquoise-Rings.html

Opal Pendants

http://www.blackmountainjewelry.com/ArtJewelry-Opal-Pendants.html

Fire Agate Rings

http://www.blackmountainjewelry.com/ArtJewelry-FireAgate-Rings.html

Turquoise Pendants

http://www.blackmountainjewelry.com/ArtJewelry-Turquoise-Pendants.html

We have started offering layaway on our gold jewelry - if you are interested please contact us for details.

New Arizona Turquoise & Gold Jewelry Pieces

I'm finally getting our new gold jewelry loaded on to our website! Between our show schedule and making inventory in between I've missed out on photo documenting quite a few pieces that sold. First category complete - Bisbee and Morenci Turquoise set in 18 or 14k gold. Here's a couple pictures below. If you want to see the whole collection please visit http://www.blackmountainjewelry.com/ArtJewelry-Turquoise-Rings.html

18k Gold and Hi-Grade Bisbee Turquoise Ring

18k Gold, Palladium, Diamond and Hi-Grade Morenci Turquoise Ring

Thanks for taking a look! Will be posting more new items as they appear on our website.

ArtFest of Scottsdale

We'll be exhibitors at ArtFest of Scottsdale this weekend. http://www.888artfest.com/art-shows/arizona/artfest-of-scottsdale
Located at the beautiful Civic Center park in Old Town Scottsdale. Please stop by if you visit the show. We're right in front of the Civic Center building.

Hope to see you there!

Judy Mohr - Ceramic Artist

We were fortunate to be next to my favorite ceramic artist this weekend at Chris Bubany's Holiday Marketplace at Harlow Gardens. Judy Mohr,from Tucson creates amazing serving dishes, mugs, vases, bird feeders, Ikebana vessels and raku sculptures. Thank you for horsetrading with me Judy - I love to go home with some of your work!

One of Judy's whimsical horse sculptures - with genuine horsehair tail. These are some of her raku pieces.

The hanging pieces are bird feeders. I've had one up for two years now. The birds love it because it's so natural. A branch slides through holes in the feeder and they perch on it to access the feeder. A lot of fun to watch!

Judy doesn't have a website but you can find her work at the following galleries:

- In Tucson - Tohono Chul Park, Old Town Artisans

- In Tubac - Lilly's

- In Sedona - Esteban's, Zonies

- In Moab, UT - Hogan Trading Co.

Chris Bubany's Holiday Marketplace at Harlow Gardens

We enjoyed being a part of Chris Bubany's Holiday Marketplace at Harlow Gardens this past weekend! What a beautiful location at this 70 year old family business. We set up our tents among the nursery plants. Along with the visiting artists there are outdoor sculptures throughout the nursery. What a lovely location and very busy!

Chris Bubany and Sandy Ricker the show organizer. Sandy really took care of all of us and made sure the show ran smoothly. It was a pleasure to be part of it.

Some of Chris' beautiful colorful pottery! So many different designs displayed through the middle of the nursery. Please visit her website for more information http://www.chrisbubany.com/

Harlow Gardens is a destination for Tucson Gardeners - every inch is full of beautiful plants and gardening accents. If you're ever in Tucson please check them out http://www.harlowgardens.com/

Art For Sedona's Sake Artists

You've heard me talk about my friend John Wdowin of Natural Nook before. He creates beautiful organic wooden vases that hold water. We have a lot of show acquaintances but he has become a great friend over these last couple years. We have one of his vases that we bring to every show with us - it's great, being wood it can bounce around in our travels and not break but it is still elegant and gets compliments every where we go.

John doesn't have a website but you can contact him for his show schedule at naturalnook1@hotmail.com He lives in Mesa, AZ in the winter and does private showings. May - Oct can be found in NY state at shows. Please contact him for his east coast show schedule or for a private viewing.

Sumac vessel in foreground. I love how he sometimes keeps the bark on his pieces. You just have to see them in person to feel the warmth.

Turned burl vessel inlaid with Arizona Turquoise.

Birch Vessel inlaid with Arizona Turquoise.

Art For Sedona's Sake - Artists

We were just at our last show in Sedona for this year and I wanted to talk about some of the great people we meet. Chris Bendele and her sister Glow Ybarra of All A Glow Jewelry create beautiful beaded jewelry and are terrific neighbors! Please check out their website http://www.allaglowjewelry.com/

Greg Anderson, also a great neighbor creates beautiful mixed media, southwestern wall pieces. Greg has just started making gorgeous enameled copper jewelry. It's neat to see someone transitioning into a new media and so excited and inspired by it. I expect to see some amazing pieces next year when we're neighbors again. Greg doesn't have a website but you can reach him at artgreg@ymail.com for his show schedule.

Thom & MJ Stanley are our favorite show promoters. They really do care about the artists at their shows. Thom also has another passion - his eclectic newspaper - please visit this link to check it out http://www.sedonaexcentric.com/excentric/home.php

New Jewelry Creations

Mark has been very busy making some beautiful new 18k Arizona Amethyst, Opal, Gem Chrysocolla, Holly Agate and Bisbee Turquoise jewelry. Here are a few pieces. If we don't sell them this weekend they will be on our Website - hopefully next week.

18k Gold , Arizona Four Peaks Amethyst, Chrome Tourmaline and Australian Opal Pendant.

18k Gold Gem Chrysocolla, AZ Four Peaks Amethyst and Holly Agate Pendant.

18k Bisbee Turquoise Pendant.

18k Arizona Fire Agate and diamond ring.

18k Gem Chrysocolla and diamond ring.

Thanks for taking a look!

2009 Capitol Christmas Tree - Alpine, AZ

We are so thrilled and honored that the Capitol Christmas Tree is coming from Alpine, AZ this year. We know that we live in one of the most beautiful places in Arizona and now the whole country will hear about our home!

It's no surprise that the tree was selected from the Apache Sitgreaves Forest - it's the centennial of Aldo Leopold's arrival to our area. The tree is being called "The Aldo Leopold Centennial Tree." Aldo Leopold was a pioneer in the conservation of our natural resources. To find out more information about the Aldo Leopold Centennial, please visit the website: http://www.leopoldcelebration.org/ Apache Sitgreaves Forest Service Headquarters. Home of the Forest Rangers - stewards of our beautiful forest.

We experience all seasons in Alpine, summer is vibrant green due to the almost daily rain showers - which also create beautiful rainbows. At 8050' we are close to the clouds which settle on the mountain tops during the night. If you ever have chance to visit this relatively unknown gem - Alpine, AZ, please spend a couple days. It takes that long to absorb the natural beauty, abundant wildlife and friendliness of all of us that live here. Here's a link to our chamber website for lodging and other information http://www.alpinearizona.com/

We've been excitied about the tree for months. It's been hush hush about the exact location - but through reliable sources the tree is coming from just south of Alpine off Route 191 - between us and Hannigan's Meadow.

We're dissappointed that we'll be out of town at a craft show during the procession. The cutting ceremony is November 7th. For more information on the tree please see the following links. http://tinyurl.com/q8dtcv , http://capitolchristmastree2009.org/ and http://tinyurl.com/ll5bdo

If you'd like to see more images of Alpine please see click on the Alpine subject bar on the left side of our Blog. Hope you enjoy the pictures and the beautiful tree we've gifted our nation!

Fine Jewelry Repair

Mark did two major repair jobs this week for a customer we met in Sedona. He doesn't just do jewelry repair - he does jewelry restoration. 14k ring with Turquoise and cracked opal inlay.
Ring re-inlaid with Bisbee Turquoise and Australian Opal.

Shank of ring worn through and cracked.

Mark milled 14k gold and 1/2 shanked the ring. Really solid now and will wear for a longgggg time. He also rebuilt all links in a heavy 18k men's bracelet for this customer - not as dramatic of a difference in a picture but better than new after he worked on it.

If you want to restore or re-dsign jewelry you own please let us know. Don't scrap it! You never get the full value of the gold that way. If it's sentimental, let us make it into a wearable piece of jewelry for you again.